Kentucky has rebounded in strong fashion since that 34-point season-opening loss to Duke, with just three losses since by a combined five points. Still, the turnaround and No. 4 rankings were not enough to earn John Calipari a spot on the 15-man list of late-season candidates for the Naismith Men’s College Coach of the Year earlier this week.

That doesn't mean he's out of the running.

“It’s by no means set in stone that only these 15 can be considered,” Eric Oberman, executive director of the Atlanta Tipoff Club, which presents the award, told the Courier Journal. “That’s not the case. When we go back to revote on 10 (semifinalists), they’re not expected to pull from the list of 15. It’s just, ‘OK guys, it’s a new day. Who are the 10 you think should advance?’”

The list, which was generated by voting from a select panel of college basketball media, marked the first time the Naismith Award had released a watch list of candidates for Coach of the Year as it does for its Player of the Year awards. Oberman said that the club wanted the watch list to be smaller than the 30-man Player of the Year watch list, but that 15 coaches were included because that spot marked a logical separation in the voting totals.

Louisville’s Chris Mack, Buffalo’s Nate Oats and Wofford’s Mike Young were also included. Those three teams were ranked 23rd through 25th in this week’s poll.

There is a delay between when the votes were sent in and when the list was announced, opening the door for a coach like Mack to be included despite Louisville losing six of its last eight games. It is unlikely he would still be on the list of 10 semifinalists released on March 11.

That list does mark an elimination point for the award, as the 10 candidates included there will be sent to the larger voting committee for the award to determine four finalists. Fans will have the opportunity to vote after the four finalists are released on March 20.

“I did talk to a couple of our voters as we kind of finalized that list of 15 and to a person, they said Coach of the Year is the hardest award to vote on in any sport because it’s so subjective,” Oberman said. “Player of the Year, some men and women get hot late in the season, some taper off, but generally at this point we have four months of bodies of work to look at. Their numbers are what they are, the way they play is the way they play. But coaches, each voter might have a different criteria and it’s all subjective to what they look at.”

It should come as no surprise that Kentucky fans reacted quickly and loudly on social media after Calipari was omitted from the list of candidates. They were joined by several media members in criticizing the list, including ESPN analyst Jimmy Dykes who tweeted voters either “have no clue or agendas” since they omitted Calipari.

UK players Nick Richards and Ashton Hagans tweeted messages criticizing the list. The Calipari family also got in on the action.

“The numbers don’t lie,” son Brad tweeted. “We all know that. Even they know that. It’s always been this way and it always will be.”

Daughter Erin joked Calipari did not make “the father of the year finalists” list either, then tweeted a list of notoriously poor fathers from popular culture who made the cut.

“The blatant snub and disrespect are unbelievable,” wife Ellen wrote on Instagram as the caption to a picture of the list of finalists. “30 years of things like this … I know you deserve to be on that list so hopefully that’s good enough. Use that snub to fuel the (fire).”

Even Brad acknowledged in his tweets about the list that his dad probably was not the favorite for the award, which often goes to a coach whose team exceeds preseason expectations and not to the coach of a team like Kentucky that was ranked No. 2 preseason. But it is difficult to argue there are 15 coaches more deserving of consideration, especially since three other coaches with teams ranked in the preseason top 5 did make the cut.

It is not the first time Calipari has been snubbed by reporters for a Coach of the Year award.

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association picked Virginia’s Tony Bennett as its Coach of the Year in 2015 despite Calipari coaching an undefeated Kentucky team at the time of voting. Calipari did win the Naismith Award that season, as he did in 2007-08 at Memphis and 1995-96 at UMass.

“I think I’ve won the thing three times, so it’s not like they’re against me,” Calipari said Friday. “I don’t know if anybody else has won it three times in the history of the thing. I’m fine. Let me just tell you, those kind of awards go with winning and if you ask me about us winning the national title or winning 50 of those awards, let’s go win a national title. It doesn’t matter to me.

“…I coach my team, try to get guys better. Maybe you like it, maybe you don’t. Maybe it’s your hope more than your opinion. Have at it. I don’t spend any time worrying about it.”

The same group of voters who passed over Calipari for the watch list will determine the list of 10 semifinalists, so it is no guarantee he will make that cut either.

He could add to his resume for consideration the Naismith and other Coach of the Year awards Saturday, though, if No. 4 Kentucky completes the regular-season sweep of No. 7 Tennessee.

“I think it’s good for the sport when there’s conversation about this,” Oberman said. “Certainly, you want to put out a list where everybody in the country agrees on every name, and it’s just unrealistic. I think what I’m pleased about is we’ve got yet another week to have our voters go through and in the case of Kentucky they’ve got a huge game. Not that John’s inclusion in the next list is hinging on that, but it’s a great late-season opportunity for coaches to state their case.”

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